Mitsubishi A5M "Claude" by Jean Barby

Jean was one of the winners of our previous modeling contest and he won a Fine Molds kit in 1/48. Well, he didn't waste any time and he sent photos of the finished model. A Mitsubishi A5M "Claude" from the aircraft carrier "Zuiho". All the markings were made with home-made masks. Enjoy!

 

Heads Up!

Dan Salamone noticed that RS Models have scheduled to release at least two new kits of the Manshu Ki-79 in 1/48. One of the single seat version with markings for the 26 Kyoiku Hikotai based in Manchuria and the 39 Kyoiku Hikotai based in Yokoshiba, Chiba Prefecture. 

 

The second kit is for the twin seat model with markings for the 113th Shimbu-tai a.k.a. "Tenken-tai" (Heavenly sword unit) and for an aircraft of an unidentified unit found in Harbin (?) airfield in Manchuria by the Soviet forces at the end of the war. 

 

Both kits will include very welcomed AURI markings.

Pitty the kits won't include decals for the 19 and the 25 Kyoiku Hikotai and the Shichisei Shōbu Unit. Perhaps we will see them in future releases.

The RS Models site doesn't include any images of the actual kit so it remains to be seen how it will look. In any case a very welcome release of a little known but quite interesting type.

Also, our friend Giuseppe “Joe” Picarella informed us that the Imperial War Museum’s Ohka-11 restoration was finally revealed on March 4, when aircraft C/n1100 was placed on display at the museum’s Lambeth facility in London.

For more, check THIS link. 

Thank you Dan and Joe👍 

Mitsubishi J2M "Raiden" (Jack) by Jean Barby

This is the "Raiden" of Sadaaki Akamatsu on which he has been credited with two P-R1 of the 15FG shot down. Well known for his hot character, mainly with women and sake, he was also a mighty fine pilot, respected by his superiors, with a long career in the Navy, from China to Atsugi. Akamatsu kind of liked the "Raiden" despite worse manoeuvrability than the Zero and he made good use of it on the B-29 flight path. So here is the Hasegawa model in 48th, with the CMK interior, which is just useless because the headrest which is supposed to fill the slot of the movable part of the canopy when closed, does not do the job. I did add the handles and the sloppy rails for the sliding canopy and the hairspray technic for the weathering. All markings are painted with masks.

- Jean Barby -

 

 

Nakajima A2N3 1:48, "A.B. & K" - kit review by Jan Kanov.

Here's a first look of the Nakajima A2N3 "A.B. & K." kit in 1:48 by our friend Jan Kanov from South Bohemia.

The kit is packed in a solid cardboard box with a decent looking colored cover. I really like this trend in packaging. It survived the mail journey without any harm.

Once opened, the folded sheet of color schemes peeks out first. Inside it, is a sheet of decals carefully packed in a rigid foil sealed with an adhesive strip (the trees are also packed this way). Decals look sharp and flawless.
Another folded sheet is devoted to building instructions. At first glance it offers everything you need to know. And it looks clear. I didn't go through it in more detail.

About the trees and kit parts.

The plastic is quite dark compared to the kits we're acustomed to. But it is clean and at first glance free from burrs or larger traces of molds. There are only two places where I noticed spilled plastic through the mold gap. It's on the parts of the fuselage halves at the edge of the cockpit. But this is only a minimal inconvenience and not a serious problem.

The model gives me a very good impression. And I'm glad to have it at home and nobody knows it.:D
But one thing I also felt was slightly unpleasant. The price is pretty high, but if I think. . . . it is a piece of unprecedented aircraft and a high quality kit.

Regarding the possible coloring machines from the kit. I couldn't find anywhere a photo of the aircraft from the aircraft carrier Kaga, with collective exhausts. I found this machine with only individual exhausts. Which narrows the choice very quickly.
But my sources of information are very small. I only have Model Art no510 and a few pictures on the net.:(

- Jan Kanov - 

The Luigi Scarano Collection Pt. 9

My latest work, Nakajima Ki-44 "Shoki", 85 Sentai, 1/48.

- Luigi Scarano - 

 

 

 

Japanese Aircraft Online Model Contest 014 - DANILO RENZULLI #1

This is my entry for the current contest.
It is a 1/72 A6M3 by Tamiya and is substantially an OOB realization being this model so perfect I didn't use any putty. This model reproduces a well known aircraft belonging to the Tainan Kokutai and found abandoned on Buna in March, 1942.
I also added  a few cockpit details, riveted the surfaces, added links and brake lines to the undercarriage. This is a model built in 2015 - a particular care has been taken in reproducing the elusive amber-grey paint. I used a mix of Humbrol colours in which the # 28 Matt Camouflage Grey played a major role, then  added # 62 Matt Leather,  # 86 Matt Light Olive and 99 Matt Lemon in various proportions. The "chalky" appearance here and there has been achieved by replacing the # 28 grey with some White 34 in the above mixture and dry brushing both models . In the wings the navigation lights have been reproduced by carefully carving the plastic thickness and adding a drop of crystal clear. Prop and spinner  received their share of Alclad paint and finally all the hinomaru have been masked and sprayed along with the blue and white bands on the tail. The light paint scratching has been achieved with a Stabilo silver pencil. I particularly enjoyed the building of this kit not only because it goes together with no problem at all but because in my opinion catches very well the lines and the appearance of the Reisen.

- Danilo Renzulli -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heads Up! 2

I'm sure you all know the old 244 Sentai book "Dai Nippon Kaiga" published in 2004. It had been sold-out and highly sought-after for some years but it has been re-printed and is now again available from our on-line store HERE.

Bunrindo has also re-printed a number of also sold-out and highly sought-after FAOW titles. They are identical to the original print and have the indication "encore" (in Japanese) on the cover. They are a bit more expensive than the original but, hey, we might have old stock with old prices!

The reprinted numbers are:

16 - Nakajima Ki-44 "Shoki" (Tojo)

17 - Kawasaki Ki-61 "Hien" (Tony)

19 - Nakajima Ki-84 "Hayate" (Frank)

23 - Kawasaki Ki-100

24 - Army Experimental Fighters

32 - Nakajima B5N "Kate"

38 - Mitsubishi Ki-46 "Dinah"

44 - Yokosuka K5Y "Willow"

47 - IJN Reconnaissance Seaplanes

57 - Navy Night Fighter "Gekko" (Irving)

59 - Mitsubishi G4M "Betty"

61 - Mitsubishi J2M "Raiden" (Jack)

65 - Nakajima Ki-43 "Hayabusa" (Oscar)

69 - Yokosuka D4Y "Suisei" (Judy)

73 - Tachikawa Ki-9 "Spruce"

91 - Mitsubishi G3M "Nell"

and ofcourse are all available from our on-line store, HERE.